A brief discussion on ethanol gasoline. Discussion is welcome; those who aren’t interested, please refrain from commenting!
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Recently, various ministries have promoted the use of ethanol-based gasoline; those who take pleasure in others’ misfortunes feel that MTBE is on the decline, and the main markets for isobutylene are about to undergo transformation. Having worked in the field of advanced processing of C4 compounds for many years, I have a deep affection for this area, and I do not want to see isobutylene decline. Also, since many relatives in my family are involved in oil refining, after hearing about it and searching for information both domestically and internationally to verify things, I came to the conclusion that ethanol-based gasoline is really not that good. Ethanol gasoline for use in vehicles refers to a new generation of environmentally friendly fuel for cars. It is formed by mixing, through specific processes, 10% denatured fuel ethanol, which is a oxygen-containing additive without MTBE, as part of a specialized fuel formulation. Ethanol gasoline is created through simple physical blending; it is not completely free from corrosive effects, and gas buildup can occur easily in summer. Its shelf life is only one month, and it is very sensitive to water. If added to a vehicle and the car is used on a trip, any unburned portion will decompose, leading to adverse effects that ultimately damage the vehicle. Over time, stratification occurs, and this is likely to happen in the fuel tank. The storage and transportation cycle is only 4–5 days, which affects the convenience of using gasoline. The amount of buildup on the intake valves of vehicles running on ethanol-based gasoline is 33% higher on average compared to those using lead-free gasoline with 93 octane rating. This is due to the instability of fuel ethanol, which leads to an increase in deposits in the engine’s fuel intake system; as a result, the atomization effect of the fuel injectors is compromised, leading to reduced efficiency of ethanol-based fuel, increased fuel consumption, and, most importantly, lower combustion heat. The decision to stop private enterprises from engaging in this activity was made considering cost factors. Zhao Youshan submitted two petitions to the State Council urging a halt to the use of corn as raw material for ethanol production; however, such efforts proved ineffective. There is clear evidence showing that this method of producing ethanol is unprofitable – 3.3 tons of corn are required to produce one ton of methanol, so one can do the math themselves. Since the M unit has been removed and M is not selected, the demand for isobutylene will **decrease**, resulting in an overcapacity for isobutylene production. In the past two days, I’ve seen various forums and websites praising ethanol gasoline as being extremely good, and they also talk about advanced foreign technologies as well as the promotion of ethanol gasoline. I have a question: under Japan’s New Sunshine Program, how does ethanol there react with isobutylene to produce ethyl tert-butyl ether? Moreover, ethyl tert-butyl ether can replace methyl tert-butyl ether; it possesses high anti-knock properties, the blended oil exhibits excellent performance, and **it reduces environmental pollution. Why is it that nowadays, even though people study * here and there, this thing is actually less common in China? Which domestic design institutes have this design? If it can’t be designed domestically, then is it not to be used? It’s also wrong to claim, against one’s conscience, that ethanol-blended gasoline is far better; this technology is available from companies such as UOP, IFP, and ARCO. Are there still few companies that use these foreign-based design firms these days? The handling characteristics of ETBE are not very different from those of MTBE; it can thus fill the market share left vacant by the elimination of MTBE, and it also helps to **reduce the costs associated with replacement. Although many experts and professors claim that ethanol-based gasoline has numerous advantages, how can the problems associated with acetic acid be solved? How to address the increased costs that arise in practical applications? Why not solve the problem at its root? I also have a gasoline car; I’m just an ordinary person who cares about my own interests. If there are better options, why not use them? Isn’t piracy very common these days? Patent protection in this area is not yet well-developed in China; aren’t people taking advantage of loopholes? Why not drill this time? All these so-called experts call themselves special-appointed professors and amazing individuals. I just want to ask: why not use ethanol-based gasoline instead of relying on large amounts of alkanes and isobutane for dehydration? By doing this, they are hindering the development of advanced processing of carbon tetrahydrocarbons in China. Are they really willing to exploit the people’s money to pay these so-called experts? Why pretend to be stronger than you are? The ancients said, \"Learn from the foreigners their strong skills in order to use them against them.\" Then why not learn from their strengths? Everyone is welcome to discuss; please refrain from negative comments if you don’t agree.
I agree with the original poster; in matters related to the interests of the general public, decision-making should not be influenced by certain interest groups, but rather should be made from a perspective that serves the interests of the users and the majority of people.
Advantages of ethanol-blended gasoline for vehicles: 1. High octane rating, good anti-knock properties. 2. Ethanol has an oxygen content as high as 34.7%. If 10% ethanol is contained in gasoline, the oxygen content can reach 35%. 3. The use of ethanol-blended gasoline can effectively reduce vehicle exhaust emissions and improve the energy structure. Studies show that E15 ethanol gasoline (with 15% ethanol in gasoline) reduces carbon hydrocarbon emissions by 16.2% and carbon monoxide emissions by 30% compared to lead-free gasoline. 4. The production resources for fuel ethanol are abundant, and the technology is mature. When blended at less than 10% in gasoline, ethanol-gasoline can be used directly in existing car engines without major modifications. Ethanol-blended gasoline for use in vehicles has many drawbacks in terms of combustion value, power performance, and corrosion resistance: 1. The calorific value of ethanol is 60% that of conventional gasoline for vehicles; according to relevant studies, if a vehicle is used with gasoline containing 10% ethanol without any modifications, the engine’s fuel consumption increases by 5%. 2. Ethanol has a high latent heat of vaporization, and its evaporation temperature at the theoretical air-fuel ratio is higher than that of conventional gasoline. It affects the formation of the air-fuel mixture and the combustion rate, resulting in a decline in the vehicle’s power, fuel efficiency, and cold-start performance, which is detrimental to its acceleration capabilities. 3. Ethanol produces acetic acid during combustion, which has a corrosive effect on automotive metals, especially copper. Tests have shown that when the ethanol content in gasoline is between 0% and 10%, it has virtually no corrosive effect on metals; however, when the ethanol content exceeds 15%, effective corrosion inhibitors must be added. 4. Ethanol is an excellent solvent; it can cause slight corrosion, swelling, softening, or cracking in the sealing rubbers and other synthetic non-metallic materials used in vehicles. 5. Ethanol readily absorbs water; when the water content in ethanol-based gasoline for vehicles exceeds the specified limits, liquid phase separation can occur easily.
There are advantages and disadvantages; in fact, MTBE is difficult to degrade, and its long-term effects on humans are real
In fact, the United States has been using fuel ethanol for 20 years, and China has been using it for almost 15 years. The technical problems mentioned by the original poster do not exist; information on this topic can be found in many popular science books. Minor benefits should give way to the greater good. The disadvantages mentioned on the 3rd floor: 1. An increase of 5% – there is no data to support this; numerous batches of vehicles have been tested over 100,000 kilometers.
When speaking, one should first avoid mixing in personal emotions; secondly, one should not mention only the shortcomings without talking about the advantages. Finally, proposing solutions is what constitutes a scientific attitude – otherwise it gives the impression that one is there to complain
It’s funny – I just filled up the tank a few days ago, and it’s still this stuff. Is it really that good as you say? ? Using alcohol-based fuels is meant to consume the genetically modified grains imported from abroad, right? Why should it be us ordinary people who pay the price? Is it really as good as you say? Speaking against one’s conscience will bring retribution. I still have a few questions: when conducting market research, it turns out that the market for some manufacturers of alcohol-based fuels isn’t good at all, and they’re not as great as you claim. Why then don’t consumers buy them? If they were really good, the market would reflect that. This stuff is nothing but a scam; to find out if it’s really useful, all you need to do is put it to use in practice. I guess if you drive a private car, you wouldn’t use ethanol-based gasoline anyway. If I had to use alcohol-based fuels, I’d prefer methanol – it’s cheaper and has a high octane rating
I just want to ask whether MTBE burns inside the engine or not, and whether it remains MTBE after combustion? The topic here is fuel, not drinks
Joke – I guess you’ve never even used ethanol-blended gasoline, let alone blended ethanol gasoline
Pure alcohol-based fuels are okay, but the problem was that alcohol-based fuels had to be used back then due to limitations in resources and conditions. Now that petrochemical technology is so advanced and there are abundant resources available, why choose ethanol gasoline, which has a poor cost-performance ratio? I wonder why, on a platform as large as HaiChuan, there aren’t many people who speak the truth; instead, people always talk about what other countries do. Why not try it yourself to see if it’s good or not? If everyone thinks the United States is so great, then why come to China? Alcohol-based fuels in the United States are possible because of there being large farm owners and plenty of genetically modified crops; is it feasible in China? Use the money of ordinary people to please Uncle Sam? Why not look at actual comparisons (starting with foreign ones right away)? Think deeply!
I think ethanol-blended gasoline might end up facing the same fate as daylight saving time. The United States has certain advantages in terms of climate and conditions that enable it to use such a system, and simply copying it over may not allow us to take advantage of those same conditions. In short, it’s like trying to imitate others without having the right circumstances – something like copying someone else’s actions without understanding why they work. The several advantages mentioned on the 3rd floor are basically false claims. Saying that emissions can be reduced while using E15, which isn’t even available on the market, – is that meaningful? It is said that fuel ethanol is abundant and that the technology related to it is mature – this applies to the United States and Brazil. We, on the other hand, have to import our food; we do not have any abundance of such resources, let alone advanced technology. As for things like oxygen content in octane rating, they are all theoretical indicators that have no significance for efficient combustion in engines.